Three-dimensional finger glove

ABSTRACT

A 3-D finger glove that may fit onto a human finger is provided. The finger glove that has a 3-D cavity so that it may easily be put on to a finger by a user and is formed by bonding together two nonwoven webs, at least one of which is elastic, while the elastic web stretched. Additionally, the 3-D finger glove successfully prevents the formation of stiff seams along the edge so that seams will not cause abrasion or damage to the areas where the glove is intended to be used. Additionally, the 3-D glove disclosed can have flush seams, which further reduces the stiffness along the seams so that the user feels more comfortable while wearing the glove. Furthermore, the 3-D shaped finger glove may provide a bigger surface area for cleaning or other uses. A number of therapeutic additives may also be applied to the glove.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The cut edge or seam line of a nonwoven laminate, especially near bonds,may have some stiffness. In some product applications, such as a fingertoothbrush which is used against sensitive body parts, the stiffness maybe undesirable because of potential abrasions and cuts. In order to makethe seam line soft, the bonded area thus either needs further treatmentsuch as creating microcuts along the seam or performing an “inside-out”process to invert the seam line inside.

Adding a cutting procedure or an inside-out conversion processinevitably increases the production cost and may make the product(s)economically uncompetitive to manufacture. Additionally, microcuts alongthe seam may still not be desirable because sharp cuts along the seammay still be able to hurt body parts such as the gums. Microcuts alongthe seam may create undesirable residues or particles along the seamthat they may be transferred into a user's mouth or other body parts.Mechnical cutting may produce solid residues, and a water-knife maycontaminate the nonwoven surface, wash out potential therapeutic agents,and also requires a drying step. If a laser cutting tool is used, thestiff seam may form a hard cutting edge because of local burning ormelting.

Accordingly, there is a great need to develop a finger glove with softseams or without seams along the edge at all.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In response to the discussed problems encountered in the prior art, anew, simple and versatile three-dimensional finger glove has beendeveloped. The finger glove is generally formed from a base web materialthat is shaped into a glove and may contain a pocket for the insertionof a finger. The benefits of a three dimensional finger glove are many:it helps the user insert the finger easier; it pulls two seams away fromthe edges to one side of the glove so that stiff seams associated withflat finger gloves are not a problem; it allows a user to handle theglove easier; and it allows packaging for continuous use by stackingfinger gloves.

The finger glove may be formed from multiple sections. These multiplesections may be made from different base web materials. In one aspect,for example, a first section, desirably not stretched, may be made froma texturized nonwoven material having an abrasive surface useful forcleaning. A second section, or backing, may be made from an elasticnonwoven material having form-fitting properties to help the gloveeffectively fit onto a finger. A bonding process involving stretchingone of the sections, typically the second, during bonding effectivelydelivers the desired shape. The 3 D shaped finger glove is formed when astretched fabric retracts to its normal state. The retraction of thestretched fabric not only helps form the 3-D shape, but also pulls thetwo seams away from the edges so that the stiffness associated with thebonding edge is partially or fully relieved.

The 3-D shape may be further defined by the length ratio of the twosections after the stretched fabric retracts to the normal state. Thelength ratio is about 70 to 90 percent. The ratio may be about 50 to 70percent. The ratio may be about 25 to 50 percent.

Any material commonly used in the art to manufacture cloths such aswipes, can be used as a base web. In particular, the base web istypically made from a nonwoven web. More particularly, the base web maybe made from pulp fibers, synthetic fibers, thermo-mechanical pulp, ormixtures thereof such that the web has cloth-like properties. The baseweb may be made from various types of fibers, including meltblown,spunbond, bonded carded, bicomponent, and crimped fibers. The base webmay also include various other materials such as elastomeric componentsor texturized nonwoven materials. Various laminates, such as elastic andfilm laminates, may also be used in the base web. Suitable elasticlaminates include stretch-bonded and neck-bonded laminates (SBL and NBLrespectively).

It should be noted here that the stretchable fabric may be easilyreplaced by any elastic material that may be bonded to the unstretchedfabric. For example, an elastic material may be a latex film, or atransparent or nontransparent polymer film, or the like. Such a fingerglove may be desired when the application only requires one side of theglove to be a fabric.

The finger glove may also include a moisture barrier that isincorporated into or applied as a layer to the base web. In general, amoisture barrier refers to any barrier, layer, or film that isrelatively liquid impervious. In particular, the moisture barrier mayprevent the flow of liquid through the finger glove so that a fingerinserted therein remains dry when the glove is being used. The moisturebarrier may remain breathable, i.e., permeable to vapors, such that afinger within the glove is more comfortable. Examples of suitablemoisture barriers may include films, fibrous materials, laminates, andthe like.

Various additives may also be applied, if desired, to the finger gloveduring manufacturing and/or by the consumer. For example, cationicmaterials, such as chitosan (poly-N-acetylglucosamine), chitosan salts,cationic starches, etc., may be applied to a glove to help attractnegatively charged bacteria and deleterious acidic byproducts thataccumulate in plaque. Examples of other suitable additives include, butare not limited to, dental agents, such as fluorides, peppermint oil,mint oil and alcohol mixtures; flavoring agents, such as xylitol;anti-microbial agents; polishing agents; hemostatic agents; surfactants;anti-ulcer components; and the like.

Additives may be applied to the finger glove in the form of an aqueoussolution, non-aqueous solution (e.g., oil), lotions, creams,suspensions, gels, etc. When utilized, the aqueous solution may, forexample, be coated, saturated, sprayed, or impregnated into the wipe.The additives may be applied asymmetrically. The additives may be lessthan about 100 percent by weight of the finger glove, and in someaspects, less than about 50 percent by weight of the wipe andparticularly less than 10 percent by weight of the finger glove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a finger glove.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification anddrawings intended to represent the same or analogous features orelements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Finger gloves as described herein are generally constructed fromdisposable materials, such as nonwoven webs made from synthetic and/orpulp fibers. For example, when used as an oral cleaning device, thefinger glove typically includes a texturized surface adapted to scrub orbrush the teeth or gums of a user. Further, the finger glove may alsoinclude an elastic component for providing the glove with form-fittingproperties. As used herein, the terms “elastic” and “elastomeric” aregenerally used to refer to materials that, upon application of a force,are stretchable to a stretched, biased length which is at least about125 percent, or one and one fourth times, its relaxed, un-stretchedlength, and which will retract at least about 50 percent of itselongation upon release of the stretching, biasing force.

It has been discovered that by forming a finger glove with an elasticnonwoven material while the elastic layer is stretched results in aglove that snugly fits onto a person's finger so that the glove may moreeffectively remain on the finger throughout use.

A finger glove may also remain “breathable” to aid in a person's comfortduring use, while also remaining capable of substantially inhibiting thetransfer of liquids from the outer surface of the glove to the person'sfinger. The transfer of liquids may be controlled by using aliquid-impervious material and/or by using a highly liquid-absorbentmaterial.

The finger glove may be formed from two or more sections of base webmaterial. Each section may be identical or different, depending on thedesired characteristics of the finger glove. The finger glove is formedfrom two sections, wherein one section is formed from a texturednonwoven material and the other section is formed from an elastomericnonwoven material and is stretched during the bonding process.

Referring to FIG. 1, one aspect of a finger glove is depicted. As shown,the finger glove 10 is made from a first section 20 and a second section30. Generally, one section of the finger glove 10 may be bonded orattached to the other section in a finger-shaped pattern according toany manner known in the art, such as by sewing, adhesive, thermal,ultrasonic, or mechanical bonding, so that the connection of thesections may form a pocket 40 for the insertion of a finger. In FIG. 1,for example, the first section 20 is attached in a finger-shaped patternto the stretched second section 30 at their respective outer edges viathe seams 50 to form a 3-D finger glove 10 having a pocket 40. Once eachsection is bonded or attached at the seams 50, the materials formingeach of the sections 20 and 30 may then be cut adjacent to the seamssuch that the finger-shaped glove 10 is formed. To form a flush seam, asingle cut/seal ultrasonic welding may be used.

Stretching one of the two webs to be bonded may effectively deliverdesired 3-D shape with the retraction of the stretched fabric. Theretraction of fabric the second web or section not only forms the 3-Dshape, but also pulls the two seams 50 away from the edges so that anarch is formed from the unstretched fabric. The interesting outcome forthis unique stretch-bonding process is that the stiffness associatedwith the bonding edge is partially or fully relieved.

The 3-D finger glove 10 and size of the 3-D pocket 11 may be furtherdefined by the length ratio of two fabrics A and B after stretchedfabric B has retracted to the normal state. The ratio of B to A isdesirably about 70 to 90 percent. The ratio may be about 50 to 70percent. The ratio may be about 25 to 50 percent. Desirably, thestretched fabric is elastic in any direction. More desirably, thestretched fabric has more elasticity at the direction that isperpendicular to the seams 50.

To further enhance sealing and reduce the possibility of the seam lineopening during glove handling, finger insertion, and during use, a pairof ear-like structures with extra bonding points can be placed at bothsides of the opening. The ear-like structure may be made in any shape,but desirably in a shape that may help the user to place the glove ontothe finger. The ear-like structures may be of any size, but desirably ina size that will not create stiffness along the seam line. In anotherrelated aspect, a finger glove may be created with extra bonding pointsadjacent to the seam line either at one side of the opening or spacedalong the seam line.

A pull-on tab may also be provided in the middle portion of the fingerglove 10 such that a user may the pull the tab in a directionperpendicular to the lengthwise direction of a flattened finger glove.As a result, the tab may facilitate the insertion of a finger into theglove 10 by “spreading out” the glove in an upwardly direction as afinger is inserted therein.

Although not specifically shown, a finger glove may include bristles onthe first section 20 and the second section 30, particularly when usedas an oral cleaning device. Bristles such as described in U.S. Pat. No.4,617,694 to Bori or U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,584 to Skinner may be utilized.A finger glove 10 may also be provided with a tapered shape to enhancethe ability of the glove to fit onto a finger. In addition, a glove 10may have two open ends so that a finger may be inserted completelythrough.

It may also be desirable to provide the finger glove 10 with anadditional fastening means. In addition to or alternative to an elasticcomponent, the dental wipe may include a fastening mechanism which mayattach to one finger of a user, while the finger glove is fitted ontoanother finger.

The finger gloves made are constructed from nonwoven webs containing anelastic component referred to herein as an “elastic nonwoven.” Anelastic nonwoven is a nonwoven material having non-elastic and elasticcomponents or having purely elastic components.

The elastic component may form a separate section of the finger glove.The finger glove may be made from two or more sections of material thatincludes a first section made from a non-elastic material and a secondsection made from an elastic material. The non-elastic material may beused to brush the teeth, gums, etc. of the user, while the elasticmaterial may be used to ensure that the finger glove fits snugly overthe finger of the user. The non-elastic material may be texturized,while the elastic material may have a smooth surface for use inpolishing the teeth of the user.

Alternatively, the finger glove may be made from a single piece ofmaterial that contains an elastic component. For example, in thisaspect, the elastic component may be a film, strands, nonwoven webs, orelastic filament incorporated into a laminate structure that is wellsuited to brushing or scrubbing one's teeth. Non-elastic materials usedtypically include nonwoven webs or films. The nonwoven webs, forinstance, may be melt-blown webs, spunbond webs, carded webs, and thelike. The webs may be made from various fibers, such as synthetic ornatural fibers.

Synthetic fibers, such as fibers made from thermoplastic polymers, maybe used to construct the finger glove. For example, suitable fiberscould include melt-spun filaments, staple fibers, melt-spunmulti-component filaments, and the like. These synthetic fibers orfilaments used in making the nonwoven material of the base web may haveany suitable morphology and may include hollow or solid, straight orcrimped, single component, conjugate or biconstituent fibers orfilaments, and blends or mixtures of such fibers and/or filaments, asare well known in the art.

The synthetic fibers used may be formed from a variety of thermoplasticpolymers. The term “polymer” generally includes, but is not limited to,homopolymers, copolymers, such as for example, block, graft, random, andalternating copolymers, terpolymers, etc., and blends and modificationsthereof. Unless otherwise specifically limited, the term “polymer” shallinclude all possible geometrical configurations of the molecule. Theseconfigurations include, but are not limited to, isotactic, synditactic,and random symmetries. The term “blend” means a mixture of two or morepolymers.

Exemplary thermoplastics include, without limitation, poly(vinyl)chlorides, polyesters, polyamides, polyfluorocarbons, polyolefins,polyurethanes, polystyrenes, poly(vinyl) alcohols, caprolactams, andcopolymers of the foregoing, and elastomeric polymers such as elasticpolyolefins, copolyether esters, polyamide polyether block copolymers,ethylene vinyl acetates (EVA), block copolymers having the generalformula A-B-A′ or A-B like copoly(styrene/ethylene-butylene),styrene-poly(ethylene-propylene)-styrene,styrene-poly(ethylene-butylene)-styrene, (polystyrene/poly(ethylenebutylene)/polystyrene, poly(styrene/ethylene-butylene/styrene), A-B-A-Btetrablock copolymers and the like.

As stated above, synthetic fibers added to the base web may also includestaple fibers which may be added to increase the strength, bulk,softness and smoothness of the base sheet. Staple fibers may include,for instance, various polyolefin fibers, polyester fibers, nylon fibers,polyvinyl acetate fibers, cotton fibers, rayon fibers, non-woody plantfibers, and mixtures thereof. In general, staple fibers are typicallylonger than pulp fibers. Staple fibers may increase the strength andsoftness of the final product.

The fibers used in a base web may be straight, curled or crimped. Thefibers may be curled or crimped, for instance, by adding a chemicalagent to the fibers or subjecting the fibers to a mechanical process.Curled or crimped fibers may create more entanglement and void volumewithin the web and further increase the amount of fibers oriented in thez-direction as well as increase web strength properties. As used herein,the z-direction refers to the direction perpendicular to the length andwidth of the base web.

The synthetic fibers added to the base web may also include bicomponentfibers. Bicomponent fibers are fibers that may contain two materialssuch as but not limited to in a side by side arrangement in amatrix-fibril arrangement wherein a core polymer has a complexcross-sectional shape, or in a core and sheath arrangement. In a coreand sheath fiber, generally the sheath polymer has a lower meltingtemperature than the core polymer to facilitate thermal bonding of thefibers. Commercially available bicomponent fibers include “CELBOND”fibers marketed by the Hoechst Celanese Company.

Pulp fibers may also be used to construct the finger glove. The pulpfibers used in forming the base web may be soft wood fibers having anaverage fiber length of greater than 1 mm, and particularly from about 2to 5 mm based on a length weighted average. Such fibers may includenorthern softwood kraft fibers, redwood fibers, and pine fibers.Secondary fibers obtained from recycled materials may also be used. Inaddition, hardwood pulp fibers, such as eucalyptus fibers, may also beutilized.

Thermo-mechanical pulp fibers may also be added to the base web.Thermo-mechanical pulp refers to pulp that is typically cooked duringthe pulping process to a lesser extent than conventional pulps.Thermo-mechanical pulp tends to contain stiff fibers and has higherlevels of lignin. Thermo-mechanical pulp may be added to the base web inorder to create an open pore structure, thus increasing bulk andabsorbency and improving resistance to wet collapse. When present,thermo-mechanical pulp may be added to a layer of the base web in anamount from about 10 percent to about 30 percent by weight of thefibers. When using thermo-mechanical pulp, a wetting agent is alsodesirably added during formation of the web. The wetting agent may beadded in an amount less than about 1 percent by weight of the fibersand, in one aspect, may be a sulphonated glycol.

When pulp fibers are used to form the base web, the web may also betreated with a chemical debonding agent to reduce inner tiber-to-fiberstrength. Suitable debonding agents that may be used when the base webcontains pulp fibers include cationic debonding agents such as fattydialkyl quaternary amine salts, mono fatty alkyl tertiary amine salts,primary amine salts, imidazoline quaternary salts, and unsaturated fattyalkyl amine salts. Other suitable debonding agents are disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 5,529,665 to Kaun. The debonding agent may be an organicquaternary ammonium chloride. In this aspect, the debonding agent may beadded to the fiber furnish in an amount from about 0.1 percent to about1 percent by weight, based on the total weight of fibers present withinthe furnish.

A base web may also be hydraulically entangled (or hydroentangled) toprovide further strength. Hydroentangled webs, which are also known asspunlace webs, refer to webs that have been subjected to columnar jetsof a fluid that cause the fibers in the web to entangle. Hydroentanglinga web typically increases the strength of the web. The base web maycomprise HYDROKNIT®, a nonwoven composite fabric that contains 70percent by weight pulp fibers that are hydraulically entangled into acontinuous filament material. HYDROKNIT® material is commerciallyavailable from Kimberly-Clark Corporation of Dallas, Tex.

As mentioned above, for most applications, nonwoven webs used toconstruct a finger glove will contain synthetic fibers. For nonwovenwebs containing substantial amounts of synthetic fibers, the webs may bebonded or otherwise consolidated in order to improve the strength of theweb. Various methods may be utilized in bonding webs. Such methodsinclude through-air bonding and thermal point bonding. In addition,other conventional means of bonding, such as oven bonding, ultrasonicbonding, hydroentangling, or combinations of such techniques, may beutilized in certain instances.

Thermal point bonding bonds the fibers together according to a pattern.In general, the bonding areas for thermal point bonding, whether patternun-bonded or pattern bonded fabrics, may be in the range of 50 percenttotal bond area or less. More specifically, the bond areas of thepresent inventive webs may be in the range of about 40 percent totalbond area or less. Even more specifically, the bond areas may be in therange of about 30 percent total bond area or less and may be in therange of about 15 percent total bond area or less. Typically, a bondarea of at least about 10 percent may be acceptable for creating thebase webs, although other total bond areas will function, depending onthe particular characteristics desired in the final product. The percentbond areas will be affected by a number of factors, including thetype(s) of polymeric materials used in forming the fibers or filamentsof the nonwoven web, whether the nonwoven web is a single- ormulti-layer fibrous structure, and the like. Bond areas ranging fromabout 15 percent to about 50 percent, and more particularly from about15 percent to about 40 percent, have been found suitable.

Base webs may include a texturized surface where the finger glove is tocontact a user's teeth and gums. The texturized surface may facilitateremoval of residue and film from the teeth and gums. The texturizedsurface may be positioned oh the finger glove only where the fingerglove is to contact the teeth and gums or may completely cover theexterior surface of the finger glove. The manner in which a texturizedsurface is formed on a nonwoven web for use may vary depending upon theparticular application of the desired result.

In one aspect, when processing substrates containing polyolefin fibers,the rolls may be heated to a temperature of from about 110° C. to about138° C., and particularly from about 115° C. to about 127° C. For mostapplications, both rolls and are heated. Patterned roll, however, may beheated to a higher temperature than roll and nip vice versus.

The point un-bonded material contains tufts having a height of at least0.05 cm. More particularly, the height of the tufts will vary from about0.127 cm to about 0.254 cm. The tufts may have a circular shape. Itshould be understood, however, that tufts may have any suitable shape.For instance, the tufts may be square, triangular, or doughnut shaped.For most aspects, the bond area surrounding the tufts may be from about15 percent to about 40 percent of the surface area of the material, andparticularly from about 20 percent to about 40 percent of the surfacearea of the material. A suitable bond pattern is given in U.S. Pat. No.5,858,515.

There are many other methods for creating texturized surfaces on basewebs and many other texturized materials may be utilized. Examples ofknown nonwoven, texturized materials, include rush transfer materials,flocked materials, wireform nonwovens, and the like. Through-air bondedfibers, such as through-air bonded bicomponent spunbond, or pointun-bonded materials, such as point un-bonded spunbond fibers, may beincorporated into the base web to provide texture to the wipe.

Textured webs having projections from about 0.1 mm to about 25-mm, suchas pinform meltblown or wireform meltblown, may also be utilized in abase web. Still another example of suitable materials for a texturizedbase web include textured coform materials. In general, “coform” means aprocess in which at least one meltblown diehead is arranged near a chutethrough which other materials are added to the web while it forms. Suchother materials may include, for example, pulp, superabsorbentparticles, or cellulose or staple fibers. Coform processes are describedin U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,464 to Lau and U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,324 toAnderson et al. Webs produced by the coform process are generallyreferred to as coform materials.

The texturized material may be a loop material. As used herein, a loopmaterial refers to a material that has a surface that is at leastpartially covered by looped bristles. It is believed that loopedbristles provide various advantages in relation to conventionalbristles. For example, the inherent stiffness in a looped structureallows the use of finer yarns and a corresponding increase in surfacearea for a given stiffness. The lack of a sharp end on a looped bristlemay reduce abrasion, which refers to the damage that may occur to softtissue in the mouth.

The looped bristles that may be used may vary depending upon theparticular application. For instance, the stiffness of the loopedbristles may be varied by varying different factors, including theheight of the loop, the inherent properties of the looped material, thefiber diameter, the fiber type, and any post-formation treatments (e.g.chemical coatings) that may be performed on the looped material.

In general, the height of the looped bristles should be short enough sothat the loops are unlikely to get caught on teeth or other structuresbeing scrubbed, but still sufficiently long to be effective in cleaninginter-proximal areas. For most applications, the loops should be lessthan about 20 mm, particularly from about 1 mm to about 5 mm, and moreparticularly from about 1.5 mm to about 3.5 mm. The height of the loopedbristles on a loop material may be homogenous or heterogeneous. Thelooped bristles may be contained on the looped material according to aparticular pattern or may be randomly arranged on the loop material. Forexample, in one aspect, the looped bristles may be arranged in rows andcolumns on the loop material. The looped bristles may be arrangedvertically or at any suitable angle to the surface of the material.Further, the looped bristles may be sparsely spaced apart or may bedensely packed together.

The loop material may be made in a number of different ways. Forexample, the loop may be a woven fabric or a knitted fabric. The loopmaterial is made by needle-punching loops into a substrate. The loopmaterial may be formed through a hydroentangling process or may bemolded, such as through an injection molding process. Of course, anyother suitable technique known in the art for producing looped bristlesmay also be used.

The looped bristles may be made from various natural or syntheticmaterials. For instance, the bristles may be made from polyester, nylon,polypropylene, polyethylene, polylactic acid, or various other polymers.

The looped bristles may also be made from natural fibers, includingcotton or wool. The looped bristles may be made from monofilament yarns,multifilament yarns, or spun yarns. The looped bristles may be flavoredor unflavored and may be treated, with, for example, a fluoride compoundor other additive. The looped bristles may be made from the samematerial as the base material on which the bristles are contained or maybe made from a different material. For example, as described-above, thebristles may be needle punched into a woven or non-woven backing layer.The loop material may also be made from a single layer of material ormay be a laminate. For example, a base layer containing the loopedbristles may be laminated to various other layers. The base layer may belaminated to a woven layer, a knitted layer, a non-woven layer, anexpandable layer such as spandex, a stretch bonded layer, or a neckbonded layer, or may be attached to various non-woven webs includingspun-bonded webs or spunbond meltblown-spunbond laminate.

In one particular aspect, the loop material used in the finger glove isa loop material commonly used in hook and loop fasteners. For example.VELCRO® loops No. 002 made by VELCRO®, USA, Inc. may be used. Thismaterial is made with nylon loops. In an alternative aspect, the loopedfastener material may be elastic. Elastic woven loop materials includeVELSTRETCH® Tape 9999 and MEDFLEX® Tape 9399, both marketed by VELCRO®,USA, Inc.

As described above, the finger glove contains an elastomeric component,so that the finger glove may better fit around a human finger. Inparticular, the first section 20 is typically made from a base web thatincludes an elastomeric nonwoven material. In some aspects, both thesecond section 30 and the first section 20 are made from a base webhaving an elastomeric component. Further, The finger glove 10 may bemade from a unitary base web structure having an elastomeric component.

The elastomeric component may be elastic strands or sections uniformlyor randomly distributed throughout the base web. Alternatively, theelastomeric component may be an elastic film or an elastic nonwoven web.The elastomeric component may also be a single layer or may be amulti-layer material.

In general, any material known in the art to possess elastomericcharacteristics may be used as an elastomeric component. Whenincorporating an elastomeric component, such as described above, into abase web, it is often desired that the elastomeric material form anelastic laminate with one or more other layers, such as foams, films,apertured films, and/or nonwoven webs. The elastic laminate generallycontains layers that may be bonded together so that at least one of thelayers has the characteristics of an elastic polymer. Examples ofelastic laminates include; but are not limited to neck-bonded laminates,stretch-bonded laminates and neck-stretch-bonded laminates.

The term “neck-bonded” refers to an elastic member being bonded to anon-elastic member while the non-elastic member is extended in themachine direction creating a necked material. “Neck-bonded laminate”refers to a composite material having at least two layers in which onelayer is a necked, non-elastic layer and the other layer is an elasticlayer thereby creating a material that is elastic in the crossdirection. Examples of neck-bonded laminates are such as those describedin U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,226,992, 4,981,747, 4,965,122, and 5,336,545, all toMorman, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The term “stretch-bonded” refers to a composite material having at leasttwo layers in which one layer is a gatherable layer and the other layeris an elastic layer. The layers are joined together when the elasticlayer is in an extended condition so that upon relaxing the layers, thegatherable layer is gathered. For example, one elastic member may bebonded to another member while the elastic member is extended at leastabout 25 percent of its relaxed length. Such a multilayer compositeelastic material may be stretched until the nonelastic layer is fullyextended. One type of stretch-bonded laminate is disclosed, for example,in U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,415 to Vander Wielen et al., which isincorporated herein by reference. Other composite elastic materials aredescribed and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,699 to Kieffer et al.,U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,966 to Taylor, U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,802 to Mornan,and U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,760 to Morman et al., all of which areincorporated herein by reference.

A “neck-stretch-bonded” laminate is defined as a laminate made from thecombination of a neck-bonded laminate and a stretch-bonded laminate.Examples of necked-stretched bonded laminates are disclosed in U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,114,781 and 5,116,662, which are both incorporated herein byreference. A neck-stretch bonded laminate is stretchable in the machinedirection and in a cross machine direction and may be made with anonwoven basing that is texturized. In particular, the neck-stretchedbonded laminate may be made so as to include a nonwoven facing thatgathers and becomes bunched so as to form a textured surface. In thismanner, the neck-stretched bonded laminate may be used to form theentire finger glove having stretch characteristics in two directions andhaving a textured surface for cleaning the teeth and gums of a user.

The elastic member used in neck-bonded materials, stretch-bondedmaterials, neck-stretch-bonded materials and in other similar laminatesmay be made from materials, such as described above, that are formedinto films, such as a microporous film, fibrous webs, such as a web madefrom meltblown fibers, or foams. A film, for example, may be formed byextruding a filled elastomeric polymer and subsequently stretching it torender it microporous.

Fibrous elastic webs may also be formed from an extruded polymer. Forinstance, as stated above, in one aspect the fibrous web may containmeltblown fibers. The fibers may be continuous or discontinuous. Besidesmeltblown webs, however, it should be understood that other fibrous websmay be used. In an alternative aspect, elastic spunbond webs may also beformed from spunbond fibers.

The finger glove may further include a moisture barrier that isincorporated into or laminated to a base web. Such a barrier mayprevent, or at least minimize, leakage from outside the glove byestablishing a barrier to the passage of liquid from the glove to thefinger placed therein. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, a layer ofmaterial or film 12 may be provided to form the moisture barrier: whichmay act as a barrier between the outer layer of the glove 10 and afinger. In this aspect, as shown in FIG. 1, a moisture barrier may actas an inner lining for the first section 20 only, while the secondsection 30 possesses no such inner lining. It should also be understoodthat the moisture barrier may be a liner for both the first section 20and the second section 30. The moisture barrier may be appliedasymmetrically or unevenly to the glove such that one portion of theglove is substantially moisture impervious, while another portion isnot. It should be understood that a moisture barrier may be applied tothe glove 10 as a layer of the base web, or as an outer lining for thebase web. It should also be understood that the moisture barrier may beinherent within the base web structure such that it would not constitutea separate lining thereof.

The moisture barrier may be made from liquid-impermeable plastic films,such as polyethylene and polypropylene films. Generally, such plasticfilms are impermeable to gases and water vapor, as well as liquids.

While completely liquid-impermeable films may prevent the migration ofliquid from outside the glove to the finger, the use of such liquid- andvapor-impermeable barriers may sometimes result in a relativelyuncomfortable level of humidity being maintained in a glove 10. As such,in some aspects, breathable, liquid-impermeable barriers are desired. Asused herein, the term “breathable” means that the barrier or film ispervious to water vapor and gases. In other words, “breathable barriers”and “breathable films” allow water vapor and gases to pass through, butnot liquids.

One suitable breathable barrier is a multilayered, clothlike barriercomprised of at least three layers. The first layer is a porous nonwovenweb; the second layer, which is joined to one side of the first layer,comprises a continuous film of PVOH; and the third layer, which isjoined to either the second layer or the other side of the first layernot joined with the second layer, is another porous nonwoven web. Thesecond layer continuous film of PVOH is not microporous, meaning that itis substantially free of voids which connect the upper and lowersurfaces of the film.

In other cases, various films may be constructed with micropores thereinto provide breathability. The micropores form what is often referred toas tortuous pathways through the film. Liquid contacting one side of thefilm does not have a direct passage through the film. Instead, a networkof microporous channels in the film prevents water from passing, butallows water vapor to pass.

In some instances, the breathable, liquid-impermeable barriers are madefrom an polymer films that contain any suitable substance, such ascalcium carbonate. The films are made breathable by stretching thefilled films to create the microporous passageways as the polymer breaksaway from the calcium carbonate during stretching.

In some aspects, any of the above layers and/or materials may also bedyed or colored so as to form a base web or moisture barrier having aparticular color. The moisture-barrier 50, for example, may be providedwith a colored background. White tufts, colored tufts, and/or a whitetitanium oxide background could be utilized.

As described above, the finger glove may be made from various componentsthat contain various features. The finger glove may include anon-elastic component, an elastic component, a moisture barrier. Ifdesired, a texturized surface may be located on the finger glove forfacilitating the scrubbing and brushing of teeth and gums. Further, thefinger glove may be made from single layer materials or laminates which,in turn, may be made from various materials and fibers.

In this aspect, the finger glove 10 includes the first section 20thermally bonded to the second section 30. The first section, in thisaspect, is a three layer laminate. The laminate includes an interiorpolypropylene spunbond layer, a middle moisture barrier layer, and anouter bi-component spunbond layer that forms an exterior surface of thefinger glove.

The polypropylene spunbond layer may have a basis weight of from about10.2 gsm to about 34 gsm, and may particularly have a basis weight ofabout 17 gsm. The moisture barrier layer may be a film made from linearlow density polyethylene containing a calcium carbonate filler. The filmmay be stretched in order to create pores for making the film breathablewhile remaining substantially impermeable to liquids. The moisturebarrier layer may have a basis weight of from about 0.67 gsm to about 34gsm, and particularly may have a basis weight of from about 17 gsm. Thepolypropylene spunbond layer may be adhesively secured to the moisturebarrier layer.

In an alternative aspect, the interior polypropylene spunbond layer maybe replaced with a nonwoven web made from polypropylene/polyethylenebicomponent fibers. The middle moisture barrier layer, on the otherhand, may be a film made from a mixture of polymers, such as CATALLOY®film marketed by the Pliant Corporation.

The exterior layer may be a spunbond or through-air bonded web made frombicomponent polyethylene/polypropylene filaments in a side-by-sidearrangement. The exterior layer may have a basis weight from about 34gsm to about 169 gsm, and may particularly have a basis weight of fromabout 67 gsm to about 135.6 gsm. Alternatively, the exterior layeritself may be a layered or laminate structure. For example, a two-bankedprocess may be used in which a layer of larger diameter fibers is formedon a layer of small diameter fibers.

As mentioned above, the second section 30 is an elastic laminate. Thefirst section 20 may be a stretch-bonded laminate sheet. Thestretch-bonded laminate sheet may include elastic threads made from anelastomeric material sandwiched between two polypropylene spunbondlayers. The elastic threads may be made, for example, from astyrene-ethylene butylene-styrene block copolymer, such as KRATON® G2740, available from the Kraton Chemical Company. The stretch-bondedlaminate may have a basis weight of from about 34 gsm to about 170 gsm,particularly from about 52 gsm to about 118.7 gsm, and more particularlyfrom about 68 gsm to about 102 gsm.

Instead of a stretch-bonded laminate sheet, the first section 20 may bea neck-bonded laminate sheet. The neck bonded laminate sheet may includea metallocene catalyzed elastic polyethylene film sandwiched between twopolypropylene spunbond layers. The spunbond layers may have a basisweight of about 15 gsm prior to being stretched. The polyethylene filmmay have a basis weight from about 17 gsm to about 52 gsm.

The dimensions of the finger glove will depend upon the particularapplication and purpose for which it is to be used. The finger glove maybe constructed in order to fit around the finger of an adult or thefinger of a child. The finger glove may also be constructed to fitaround two fingers instead of just one. For most single finger gloves,the wipe should have a length of from about 1 inch to about 5 inches anda median flattened width of from about 0.5 inches to about 1.5 inches.When constructed to fit around two fingers, the finger glove may have amedian width of from about 0.75 inches to about 2.5 inches, depending onthe elasticity of the wipe.

In still a further aspect, hook structures may be laminated to thebacking of an elastic material containing loop bristles as describedabove. In this aspect, the elastic looped material may be wrapped arounda finger and secured to itself using the hook structures. Once securedto a finger, the material may be used to scrub an adjacent surface.

In general, a finger glove may also be applied with a variety ofchemical additives. For instance, any material, chemical, or additivecommonly applied by cotton ball, swabs, or gauzes may be applied to afinger glove. Examples of such additives may include, but are notlimited to, medications, diaper rash ointments, alcohols, oralanesthetics, facial make-up removal agents, and the like.

Various other additives, chemicals, and materials may be applied to afinger glove also. For instance, certain additives may be when thefinger glove is used as an oral cleaning device. For example, in oneaspect, cationic polymers may be coated onto the finger glove. Cationicpolymers may help clean teeth and/or gums because they typically have astrong attraction for negatively charged bacteria and deleterious acidicbyproducts that accumulate in plaque. One example of a cationic polymerthat is suitable for use is chitosan (poly-N-acetylglucosamine, aderivative of chitin) or chitosan salts. Chitosan and its salts arenatural biopolymers that may have both hemostatic and bacteriostaticproperties. As a result, chitosan may help reduce bleeding, reduceplaque, and reduce gingivitis.

In addition to chitosan and chitosan salts, any other cationic polymerknown in the art may generally be applied to a finger glove. Cationicstarches may be used. One such suitable cationic starch is, for example,COBOND® starch, which may be obtained from National Starch and ChemicalCo. of Finderne, N.J. In another aspect, cationic materials that areoligomeric compounds may be used. In some aspects, combinations ofcationic materials may be utilized.

In addition to the chemical additives mentioned above, a variety ofother additives may be applied to a finger glove. Other well knowndental agents may be utilized, for example. Examples of such dentalagents include, but are not limited to alginates, soluble calcium salts,phosphates, flourides, such as sodium flouride (NaF) or stannousflouride (SnF2), and the like. Mint oils and mint oil mixtures may beapplied to a finger glove.

For instance, in one aspect, peppermint oil may be applied to the fingerglove. In another aspect, a mint oil/ethanol mixture may be applied.Components of mint oil (e.g., menthol, carvone) may also be used.Additionally, various whitening agents may be applied to the fingerglove. Examples of whitening agents include peroxides and in situsources of peroxide, such as carbamide peroxide.

Furthermore, The finger glove may also comprise an anti-ulcer component.In particular, one aspect may comprise a component designed to act as ananti-H. pylori agent. In general, any additive known in the art to be ananti-ulcer or anti-H. pylori agent may be used. In one aspect, forexample, bismuth salts may be utilized. Another example of a suitablebismuth salt is PEPTO-BISMOL® sold by The Procter & Gamble Company,containing bismuth subsalicylate. In addition to bismuth salts, otherexamples of suitable anti-ulcer additives include, but are not limitedto, tetracycline, erythromycin, clorithromycin or other antibiotics. Anyadditive useful for treating peptic ulcers, such as H2-blockers,omeprazole, sucralfate, and metronidazole, may be used as well.

Other additives may also be applied to the glove. Such materials mayinclude, but are not limited to, flavoring agents, anti-microbialagents, preservatives, polishing agents, hemostatic agents, surfactants,etc. Examples of suitable flavoring agents include various sugars,breath freshening agents, and artificial sweeteners as well as naturalflavorants, such as cinnamon, vanilla and citrus. In one aspect,xylitol, which provides a cooling effect upon dissolution in the mouthand is anti-cariogenic, may be used as the flavoring agent. As stated,preservatives, such as methyl benzoate or methyl paraben, may also beapplied to a finger glove. The additives may be applied to the fingerglove as is or they may be encapsulated in order to preserve theadditives and/or to provide the additive with time release properties.

A variety of other additives and combinations thereof may be applied toa finger glove. Although various specific additives have beenspecifically mentioned above, it should be understood that any additivemay generally be applied to a finger glove. The additives may be appliedto the finger glove as is or they may be encapsulated in order topreserve the additives and/or to provide the additive with time releaseproperties. In general, the chemical additives described above may beapplied to a finger glove according to a number of ways known in theart. The additives may be applied to the glove using a saturant system,by print, roll, blade, spray, spray-drying, foam, brush treatingapplications, etc., which are all known in the art.

The additives may further be applied as a mixture of molten solids orco-extruded onto the glove. Additionally, in another aspect, thechemical additives may be impregnated into the material duringmanufacturing as is well known in the art. It should be understood thatwhen coated onto a glove as described above, the additives may beapplied to the base web before or after the base web is stamped orbonded to form a finger glove. It should also be understood that, ifdesired, various additives, solutions, and chemicals may be applied bythe consumer to the glove just before use.

The additive is encapsulated and then applied to the finger glove. Thistechniques is commonly used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Avariety of encapsulation techniques is well-known in the art and includespray drying, spray chilling and cooing coacervation, fluidized bedcoating, liposome entrapment, rotational suspension separation, andextrusion.

Regardless of the mechanism utilized to apply the chemical additives tothe glove, the additives may be applied to the glove via an aqueoussolution, non-aqueous solution, oil, lotion, cream, suspension, gel,etc. When utilized, an aqueous solution may contain any of a variety ofliquids, such as various solvents and/or water. The solution may oftencontain more than one additive. The additives applied by an aqueoussolution or otherwise constitute approximately less than 80 percent byweight of the finger glove. The additives may be applied in an amountless than about 50 percent of the weight of the glove.

The additives may also be applied asymmetrically onto the glove toreduce costs and maximize performance of the glove. For instance, a flatsheet of the base web may be asymmetrically contacted with a particularcoating agent, and thereafter stamped and bonded to form a finger glove,wherein only the surface used to clean teeth is coated with theadditives. The finger glove is stamped and bonded, and thereafterasymmetrically coated with a particular coating agent.

Prior to being shipped and sold, the finger glove may be placed invarious sealed packaging in order to preserve any additives applied tothe finger glove or otherwise to maintain the finger glove in a sterileenvironment. Various packaging materials that may be used includeethylene vinyl alcohol (EVA) films, film foil laminates, metalizedfilms, multi-layered plastic films, and the like. The packaging may becompletely impermeable or may be differentially permeable to theflavorants depending on the application:

Finger gloves significantly improve the feel and comfort for the user.Applications for the described glove may be a variety of areas such asto apply diaper rash ointments, medications, alcohol, oral anesthetics,etc. In some cases, they may be utilized to remove various types ofmaterials from a person, such as, for example, facial make-up. In eachof these fields, they may be used to deliver a particular additive oringredient to the area of application.

The device described hererin is particularly useful for applicationsthat require to deliver an additive or ingredient is the field of teethor gum cleaning. Teeth cleaning is regularly required to maintain dentalhygiene. Various films and residues, such as plaque, may build up onteeth and gums over a period of time, thereby adversely affecting oralhealth. In the past, toothbrushes have been utilized to remove suchfilms and residues. Conventional toothbrushes typically have two endswith one end being a handle and the other containing bristles designedto disrupt and remove plaque and other residues from the surfaces beingcleaned

Finger gloves significantly improve the feel and comfort to the user.The flush seam not only reduces the abrasion and risk of cuts, it alsohelps the glove to fit the finger better. When the glove is turnedinside out, the flush seam will not create a space between the glove andthe finger as it would in a glove with a conventional seam.

It's also conceivable that the finger glove may be used for as apainting tool or as an educational tool.

EXAMPLES

Various finger gloves were made with various materials as described inthe following examples. The finger gloves were constructed from thematerials using ultrasonic welding to form the seams. In each of thefollowing examples, unless otherwise specified, each finger glove wasmade from a mold (or cut and seal anvil or horn) having a length of fromabout 7 cm to about 7.6 cm in a single cut/seal step. The cut and sealhorn was made to have the cut knife at ˜130 microns and the anglebetween the cut knife and welding area at ˜45 degrees. The finger gloveswere made with an open end for the insertion of a finger and with aclosed-end. The width of the mold at the opening ranged from 2.7 cm to3.175 cm. The width at the closed end ranged from 2.03 cm to 2:3 cmAfter being formed, the finger gloves were cut to a length of from 2.54cm to 7.6 cm. The width at the opening normally ranged from 1.52 cm to2.54 cm (internal diameter). When containing a pull-on tab, the lengthof the tab ranged from 0.51 cm to 2.03 cm.

Example 1

A 3-D finger glove was formed as follows.

A first section made from a point un-bonded spunbond laminate materialwas ultrasonically welded to a stretch-bonded laminate (SBL) sheet usinga Branson 920 IW ultrasonic welder. The point un-bonded spunbondlaminate formed the front of the finger glove, while the SBL sheetformed the back of the finger glove.

The point un-bonded spunbond laminate was formed by thermally bondingtogether a polypropylene spunbond web, a breathable film sheet, and abicomponent spunbond web. The breathable film sheet was placed inbetween the spunbond webs.

The polypropylene spunbond web had a basis weight of 17 gsm. Thebicomponent spunbond web was made from bicomponent filaments having apolyethylene component and a polypropylene component in a side-by-siderelationship. The bicomponent spunbond web had a basis weight of 84.8gsm. The breathable film sheet was made from a linear low densitypolyethylene containing calcium carbonate filler. The film was stretchedin order to create a microporous film. The film had a basis weight of 17gsm.

The bicomponent spunbond web was thermally bonded to the film laminateusing a point-un-bonded pattern that created texture. In particular,circular tufts were formed on the bicomponent spunbond web side of thelaminate. During bonding, a top bond roll having the point-un-bondedpattern was heated to 127° C. while a bottom bond roll was heated to115.5° C.

The SBL sheet included threads of an elastic material sandwiched betweentwo polypropylene spunbond layers. The elastic material used was KRATON®G2740 S-EB-S block copolymer. The SBL sheet had a basis weight of 84.8gsm. An imprinted, magnesium bond plate served as an anvil forultrasonic bonding of the SBL sheet to the point un-bonded spunbondlaminate.

The bicomponent spunbond layer of the point un-bonded spunbond materialwas placed adjacent to the SBL sheet during the ultrasonic weldingprocess, which placed the textured nubs against the SBL sheet. The SBLwas stretched by 40 percent while the layers were bonded together.

Example 2

A 3-D finger glove as described in Example 1 was constructed. In thisexample, however, the bicomponent spunbond sheet of the point un-bondedspunbond laminate had a basis weight of 122 gsm. During the pointun-bonded process, the top bond roll was heated to 132° C., while thebottom bond roll was heated to 115.5° C. The SBL was stretched by 35percent while the layers were bonded together. After being formed, thefinger glove was treated with peppermint oil. The finger glove was thensubsequently used to clean the mouth of an adult.

Example 3

A 3-D finger glove was constructed similar to the finger glove describedin Example 1, however, the bicomponent spunbond sheet of the pointun-bonded spunbond laminate was a through-air bonded bicomponent fibrousweb having a basis weight of 61 gsm. The bicomponent filaments containeda polyethylene component and a polypropylene component in a side-by-siderelationship. During the point un-bonded process, the top bond roll washeated to 127° C. while the bottom bond role was heated to 115.5° C. TheSBL was stretched by 40 percent while the layers were bonded together.

Example 4

A 3-D finger glove as described in Example 3 was constructed. In thisexample, however, the through-air bonded bicomponent fibrous web had abasis weight of 84.8 gsm. Further, the bicomponent web wasyellow-pigmented. The SBL was stretched by 40 percent while the layerswere bonded together.

Example 5

A 3-D finger glove as described in Example 1 was constructed. In thisexample, however, the point un-bonded spunbond laminate was replacedwith a multi-layered material that included aspunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminate that was adhesively laminated to astrip of loop material from a hook and loop fastener. Thespunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminate had a total basis weight of 34 gsm.The laminate included a 15 gsm meltblown interior layer made frompolypropylene fibers. The two spunbond facings were also made frompolypropylene. The loop material was VELCRO® loop 2000 material obtainedfrom VELCRO® USA, Inc. The resulting multi-layered material wasultrasonically welded to the stretch-bonded laminate described inExample 1, such that the spunbond-meltblown-spunbond layer waspositioned adjacent to the stretch-bonded layer. The SBL was stretchedby 50 percent while the layers were bonded together. The loop materialformed a facing of the finger glove.

Example 6

A 3-D finger glove as described in Example 1 was constructed and used toremove make-up. In this example, however, the point un-bonded spunbondlaminate was replaced with a coform sheet. The coform sheet was ameltblown web containing 50 percent pulp fibers and 50 percent by weightpolypropylene fibers. The coform sheet had a basis weight of 41 gsm. Thecoform sheet was ultrasonically welded to the stretch-bonded laminatedescribed in Example 1.

In this example, the section of the finger glove made from the coformsheet was longer than the section made from the stretch-bonded laminatecreating a pull-on tab. The SBL was stretched by 40 percent while thelayers were bonded together. The finger glove was then subsequentlydipped in alcohol and used to remove make-up.

Example 7

A 3-D finger glove was constructed similar to the finger glove describedin Example 1. In this example, the bicomponent spunbond web contained inthe point un-bonded spunbond laminate had a basis weight of 118.7 gsm.During the point un-bonded process, the top bond roll was heated to 132°C., while the bottom bond roll was heated to 121° C.

In contrast to Example 1, however, instead of using a stretch-bondedlaminate sheet, the point un-bonded spunbond laminate was ultrasonicallywelded to a neck-bonded laminate while the NBL was stretched 35 percent.The neck-bonded laminate was formed by adhesively bonding a 15 gsmpolyurethane film between a pair of opposing polypropylene spunbondfacings. The adhesive used to form the neck-bonded laminate was FindleyH2525A adhesive obtained from Findley, Inc. The spunbond facings had abasis weight of 17 gsm prior to being stretched or necked. The spunbondfacings were necked to a width corresponding to 30 percent of theiroriginal width.

After the point un-bonded spunbond laminate was welded to theneck-bonded laminate, the finger glove was inverted so that the texturednubs formed an exterior face of the finger glove. Peppermint oil wasthen applied to the finger glove which was subsequently used to cleanthe mouth of an adult.

Example 8

A 3-D finger glove was constructed similar to the finger glove describedin Example 1, using the same point un-bonded spunbond laminate. Incontrast to Example 1, however, instead of using a stretch-bondedlaminate as the elastic material, a neck-bonded laminate was used. Thepoint un-bonded spunbond laminate was ultrasonically welded to theneck-bonded laminate while the NBL was stretched 40 percent.

The neck-bonded laminate contained a 35 gsm metallocene-catalyzedpolyethylene film laminated to a pair of opposing polypropylene spunbondfacings. The spunbond facings had a basis weight of 17 gsm prior tobeing stretched or necked. The spunbond facings were necked to a widthcorresponding to 45 percent of the original width.

After the point un-bonded spunbond laminate was welded to theneck-bonded laminate. Peppermint oil was then applied to the fingerglove which was subsequently used to clean the mouth of an adult.

Example 9

A 3-D finger glove similar to the finger glove described in Example 7was constructed. In this example, however, the neck-bonded laminatesheet was formed by adhesively bonding a 15 gsm polyether amide elasticfilm (PEBAX-2533 film obtained from Elf Atochem) to a pair of opposingbidirectionally extensible polypropylene spunbond facings. Thepolypropylene spunbond facings had a basis weight of 10.2 gsm prior tobeing stretched or necked. When attached to the elastic film, thespunbond facings were necked to a width corresponding to 40 percent oftheir original width and then crimped an amount to produce a 50 percentreduction in length.

The neck-bonded laminate was ultrasonically welded to the pointun-bonded spunbond laminate while the NBL was stretched ˜35% percent. Itwas observed that the neck-bonded laminate sheet had elastic propertiesin two dimensions. The finger glove was subsequently used to clean themouth of an adult.

Example 10

A 3-D finger glove as described in example 1 was constructed from apoint un-bonded spunbond laminate ultrasonically welded to astretch-bonded laminate while the SBL was stretched by 35 percent. Thetotal basis weight for the point un-bonded spunbond sheet was 2.7169.55gsm. The finger glove was treated with the following additives.

Additive Wt percent: Peppermint oil (obtained 0.51 from Global-Essence,Inc.) 1 percent Chitosan citrate solution 0.07 (formed from chitosan andmade by Vanson Chemical Company and citric acid made by Archer DanielsMidland) T MAZ-80 Polysorbate 0.55 Surfactant (obtained from BASF)Xylitol (obtained from Cultor, 8.56) Water 90.31

After being immersed in the above aqueous solution, the finger wipe wasallowed to dry and sealed in plastic film. After a period of time, thefinger glove was removed and used in the mouth of a subject.

Example 11

A 3-D finger glove similar to the one described in example 1 wasconstructed. In this example, the point un-bonded laminate had a totalbasis weight of 2.7169.55 gsm. Further, instead of being welded to astretch-bonded laminate, the point un-bonded laminate was adhesivelysecured to a elastomeric, meltblown polyether ester (ARNITEL® EM400polyether ester obtained from DSM Engineering Plastics) while themeltblown web was stretched 40 percent. The melt blown polyether esterweb had a basis weight of about 67.8 gsm.

Example 12

A 3-D finger glove similar to the one described in example 1 wasconstructed. In this aspect, the point un-bonded laminate had a totalbasis weight of 2.71 to 69.55 gsm.

In this example, the point un-bonded laminate was welded to aspunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminate that had been adhesively bonded toa thin strip of an elastic material commonly used as leg elastics indiapers.

The spunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminate had a total basis weight of 34gsm wherein the meltblown interior layer had a basis weight of 0.13 to5.6 gsm. The elastic strip was 1 cm in width and was adhesively bondedto the spunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminate. The elastic strip includedelastic threads sandwiched between two polypropylene spunbond facingsand was stretched ˜45 percent during bonding.

The resulting finger glove made by welding thespunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminate to the point un-bonded spunbondsheet was elastic because of the elastic strip attached to thespunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminate. The elastic strip was notuniformly elastic. The finger glove was made so that the elastic striprested between the first and second knuckles of the finger of an adultafter insertion of the finger into the finger glove.

Example 13

A 3-D finger glove was formed using a first section made from aspunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminate welded to a second section madefrom a neck-bonded laminate. The spunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminateformed the front side of the finger glove, while the neck-bondedlaminate formed the back side.

The spunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminate was made from polypropylene andhad a total basis weight of 27.2 gsm.

The neck-bonded laminate was similar to the neck-bonded laminatedescribed in Example 8, except that it had a heavier weight film andheavier weight facings. The facings were necked to a width 40 percent oftheir original width. The laminate had an overall basis weight of 142.8gsm.

The two sections were thermally bonded together in the shape of a fingerwhile the NBL was stretched 50 percent, and excess material was trimmedfrom the edges of the wipe. The spunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminatesection of the finger glove was longer than the neck-bonded laminatesection, such that a pull-on-tab was provided for ease in placing thewipe on a finger. Specifically, the length of thespunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminate section was approximately 5centimeters while the length of the neck-bonded laminate wasapproximately 4 centimeters. Upon flattening of the finger glove, thewidth at the bottom of the wipe was approximately 2.4 centimeters.

Example 14

A 3-D finger glove was constructed similar to the finger glove inExample 1, insofar as an elastic material, was welded to a texturizedsurface with a finger-shaped design. In contrast to Example 1, however,instead of using a stretch bonded laminate as the elastic material, aneck-bonded laminate was used. The neck-bonded laminate contained a 34gsm metallocene-catalyzed polyethylene film laminated to a pair ofopposing polypropylene spunbond facings. The spunbond facings had abasis weight of 17 gsm prior to being stretched or necked. The spunbondfacings were necked to a width corresponding to 42 percent of theiroriginal width.

In further contrast to Example 1, the texturized material was not apoint un-bonded nonwoven, but rather a knitted nylon material havinglooped bristles approximately 3 to 4 mm in length. This knitted materialhad a basis weight of approximately 84.8 gsm. The bristles had aconsistent directional component, allowing scrubbing in a direction withrelatively high or low coefficient of friction. The looped bristles werefairly homogeneous in size and distribution, and generally extendedbetween 3 mm and 4 mm from the surface. The bristle loops were comprisedof multiple filaments.

The knitted material was ultrasonically welded to the neck-bondedlaminate while the NBL was stretched 40 percent. Peppermint oil was thenapplied to the finger glove, which was subsequently used to clean themouth of an adult.

Example 15

A 3-D finger glove was constructed similar to the finger glove inExample 1; insofar as an elastic material was welded to a texturizedsurface with a finger-shaped design. In contrast to Example 1, however,instead of using a stretched bonded laminate as the elastic material, anecked bonded laminate was used. The neck-bonded laminate contained a 34gsm metallocene-catalyzed polyethylene film laminated to a pair ofopposing polypropylene spunbond facings. The spunbond facings had abasis weight of 17 gsm prior to being stretched or necked. The spunbondfacings were necked to a width corresponding to 42 percent of theiroriginal width.

In further contrast to Example 1, the texturized material was not apoint un-bonded nonwoven, but rather a knitted nylon material havinglooped bristles approximately 3 mm in length. This knitted material hada basis weight of approximately 84.8 gsm, and was ultrasonically weldedaround the perimeter to a breathable film laminate (34 gsm), therebyproviding a nonwoven/knit laminate containing looped bristles and amoisture barrier.

The bristled, nonwoven/knit laminate was ultrasonically welded to theneck-bonded laminate while the NBL was stretched 35 percent, such thatthe looped bristles were adjacent to the NBL. A commercially availablebaby toothpaste (GERBER® Tooth & Gum Cleanser) was then applied to thefinger glove, which was subsequently used to clean the mouth of atoddler.

Example 16

A 3-D finger glove was constructed similar to the finger glove inExample 1′. The point un-bonded spunbond laminate was ultrasonicallywelded to a neck-bonded laminate while the NBL was stretched 40 percent.The neck-bonded laminate contained a 34 gsm metallocene-catalyzedpolyethylene film laminated to a pair of opposing polypropylene spunbondfacings. The spunbond facings had a basis weight of 17 gsm prior tobeing stretched or necked. The spunbond facings were necked to a widthcorresponding to 42 percent of their original width.

In further contrast to Example 1, the texturized material was aconventional loop fastener, VELCRO® Med-Flex Tape 9399, comprised ofnylon and Spandex. This material was elastic but in this example wasused without stretching. The looped bristles were monofilament, andgenerally extended from 0.5 mm to 3 mm from the surface whenunstretched, with some extending to 10 mm when tension was applied.

The knitted material was ultrasonically welded to the neck-bondedlaminate. Peppermint oil was then applied to the finger glove which wassubsequently used to clean the mouth of an adult.

Example 17

A 3-D finger glove was constructed similar to the finger glove inExample 1. In contrast to Example 1, however, instead of using astretch-bonded laminate as the elastic material, a neck-bonded laminatewas used. The neck-bonded laminate contained a 34 gsmmetallocene-catalyzed polyethylene film laminated to a pair of opposingpolypropylene spunbond facings. The spunbond facings had a basis weightof 17 gsm prior to being stretched or necked. The spunbond facings werenecked to a width corresponding to 42 percent of their original width.

In further contrast to Example 1, the texturized material was a laminatecomprised of a commercially available loop fastener, VELCRO® Loop 002Tape 0599, approximately 84.8 gsm, comprised of nylon adhesivelylaminated to a breathable film laminate (34 gsm). The texturizedmaterial, was ultrasonically welded to the necked bonded laminate whilethe NBL was stretched 35 percent. A commercially available babytoothpaste (from GERBER®) was then applied to the finger glove, whichwas subsequently used to clean the mouth of a toddler.

Example 18

A 3-D finger glove was constructed similar to the finger glove inExample 1. In contrast to Example 1, however, instead of using astretch-bonded laminate as the elastic material, a neck-bonded laminatewas used. The neck-bonded laminate contained a 34 gsmmetallocene-catalyzed polyethylene film laminated to a pair of opposingpolypropylene spunbond facings. The spunbond facings had a basis weightof 17 gsm prior to being stretched or necked. The spunbond facings werenecked to a width corresponding to 42 percent of their original width.In further contrast to Example 1, the texturized material was aneedlepunched nonwoven substrate, with a basis weight of approximately169.55 gsm.

The texturized material was ultrasonically welded to the necked-bondedlaminate while the NBL was stretched 45 percent. Peppermint oil was thenapplied to the finger glove, which was subsequently used to clean themouth of an adult.

Example 19

The ability of a fastening mechanism to be attached to a fingertoothbrush was demonstrated. A 3-D finger glove was formed as follows.Specifically, a first section made from a point un-bonded polypropylenespunbond material was ultrasonically welded to a stretch-bonded laminate(SBL) sheet using a Branson 920 IW ultrasonic welder while the SBL wasstretched 45 percent. The point un-bonded spunbond material formed thefront of the toothbrush, while the SBL sheet formed the back of thetoothbrush.

The point un-bonded spunbond had a total basis weight of about 92 gsm.The spunbond material was thermally bonded using a point-un-bondedpattern that created texture. In particular, circular tufts were formedon the spunbond material. During bonding, a top bond roll having thepoint-un-bonded pattern was heated to 165.6-182° C. while a bottom bondroll was heated to 149° C.

The SBL sheet, on the other hand, included threads of an elasticmaterial sandwiched between two polypropylene spunbond layers. Theelastic material used was KRATON® G2740 S-EB-S block copolymer. The SBLsheet had a basis weight of 84.8 gsm. An imprinted, magnesium bond platewas used to bond the SBL sheet to the point un-bonded spunbond material.The resulting structure was in the shape of a finger, with a morerounded region at the top and straight sides tapering outwards, suchthat the interior width at 3.7 cm from the top was about 1.8 cm. Excessmaterial was trimmed around the seam, leaving a textured fingertoothbrush with a pull-on tab (SBL side).

A thin (0.6 cm) strip of SBL was formed into a ring (1.5 cm diameter)with a tail, and thermally bonded to close the ring. The end of the tail(5 cm) was thermally bonded to the pull-on tab of the finger toothbrushto produce a finger toothbrush with a tethered fastening ring. Thetoothbrush was treated with peppermint oil (5 microliters) and used by asmall child.

Example 20

The ability of a 3-D finger glove to apply an anti-ulcer component wasdemonstrated. A finger glove was formed as follows. Specifically, afirst section made from a point un-bonded spunbond laminate material wasultrasonically welded to a stretch-bonded laminate sheet using a Branson920 IW ultrasonic welder while the SBL was stretched 40 percent. Thepoint un-bonded spunbond laminate formed the front of the finger glove,while the SBL sheet formed the back of the finger glove.

The point un-bonded spunbond laminate was formed by thermally bondingtogether a first polypropylene spunbond web, a breathable film sheet,and a second polypropylene spunbond web. The breathable film sheet wasplaced in between the spunbond webs. The first polypropylene spunbondweb had a basis weight of 17 gsm. The second polypropylene spunbond webhad a basis weight of 95.2 gsm an average fiber diameter of 7.05 denier.The breathable film sheet was made from a linear low densitypolyethylene containing a calcium carbonate filler. The film wasstretched in order to create a microporous film. The film had a basisweight of 17 gsm.

The point un-bonded spunbond laminate material was thermally bondedusing a point-un-bonded pattern that created texture. In particular,circular tufts were formed on the second polypropylene spunbond web sideof the laminate. During bonding, a top bond roll having the pointun-bonded pattern was heated to 177° C. while a bottom bond roll washeated to 165.5° C.

The SBL sheet, on the other hand, included threads of an elasticmaterial sandwiched between two polypropylene spunbond layers. Theelastic material used was KRATON® G2740 S-EB-S block copolymer. The SBLsheet had a basis weight of 84.8 gsm. An imprinted, magnesium bond platewas used to bond the SBL sheet to the point un-bonded spunbond laminate.

The second polypropylene spunbond layer of the point un-bonded spunbondmaterial was placed adjacent to the SBL sheet during the ultrasonicwelding process, which placed the textured nubs against the SBL sheet.

After ultrasonic welding, excess material was trimmed around the edgesand the finger glove was inverted to place the seam on the inside andthe textured nubs on the outside.

The resulting bonded wipe was in the shape of a finger having a roundedregion at the top and straight sides tapering outwards, such that thewidth of the bond pattern 1 cm from the top was 2.3 cm, and the width at4.5 cm from the top was 2.8 cm.

Thereafter, tetracycline hydrochloride and peppermint oil (20microliters) were added to the finger glove. The tetracyclinehydrochloride was obtained from Apothecon, a subsidiary of Bristol-MyersSquibb, in the form of a drug sold as SUMYCIN®. The tetracyclinehydrochloride was applied to the finger glove in the form of a solutioncontaining 100 microliters of a 40 mg SUMYCIN®/milliliter solution inwater.

Example 21

The ability of a 3-D finger glove to be treated with an anti-ulcercomponent was demonstrated. The 3-D finger glove of Example 1 wastreated with metronidazole and peppermint oil (20 microliters).Metronidazole was obtained in the form of a topical gel calledMETROGEL®, which is commercially available from Galderma. 200 mg ofMETROGEL® was applied to the finger glove, which thereby delivered1.5-mg of metronidazole to the finger glove.

Example 22

The ability of a 3-D finger glove to be treated with the followinganti-ulcer component was demonstrated. The finger glove of Example 1 wastreated with bismuth subsalicylate which is the active ingredient inPEPTO-BISMOL® sold by Procter and Gamble. 300 microliters ofPEPTO-BISMOL® was applied to the finger glove, which was subsequentlyused to clean the mouth of a user.

Example 23

The ability of a 3-D finger glove to be treated with the followinganti-ulcer components was demonstrated. The 3-D finger glove of Example1 was treated with a suspension of bismuth subsalicylate (200microliters of PEPTO-BISMOL®), metronidazole (50 mg of METROGEL®lotion), tetracycline (10 mg of SUMYCIN®), and peppermint oil (20microliters) were applied to the finger glove, which was then used toclean the mouth of a user.

Example 24

A point un-bonded spunbond laminate material was formed by thermallyfusing (using a point-un-bonded pattern) three materials: a bicomponentspunbond web (PE/PP, side-by-side, 0.416 to 9.55 gsm), a film (0.178 mmCATALLOY® film, supplied by Pliant Corporation), and a through-airbonded web (PE/PP, side-by-side, 118.7 gsm), with bond pressure, linespeed, and temperature adequate to sustain the desirable level ofbonding and texture. In this case, the top patterned roll was heated to124.4° C., while the bottom bond roll was heated to 120° C. Theresulting point un-bonded spunbond laminate sheet was ultrasonicallywelded to a neck-bonded laminate sheet using a Branson 920 IW ultrasonicwelder while the NBL was stretched 40 percent. The neck-bonded laminatecontained a 34 gsm metallocene-catalyzed polyethylene film laminated toa pair of opposing polypropylene spunbond facings. The spunbond facingshad a basis weight of 17 gsm prior to being stretched or necked. Thespunbond facings were necked to a width corresponding to 42 percent oftheir original width.

An imprinted, stainless steel bond plate served as the ultrasonic anvilto make the finger-shaped bond pattern. The bicomponent spunbond layerof the point un-bonded laminate spunbond material was adjacent to theNBL during the ultrasonic welding process (meaning the textured nubsfaced and were pressed against the SBL sheet during welding). Afterultrasonic welding, excess material was trimmed around the edges, andthe finger glove was inverted to place the seam on the inside and thetextured nubs on the outside. A peppermint flavoring (37 &mgr; L) wasadded to the finger glove, which was subsequently packaged in alaminated packaging material that substantially retained the flavoringover time. After one month, the package was opened and the product usedto clean the mouth of an adult.

Example 25

A point un-bonded spunbond laminate material was formed by thermallyfusing (using a point-un-bonded pattern) three materials: a bicomponentspunbond web (PE/PP, side-by-side, 0.416 to 9.55 gsm), a film (0.178 mmCATALLOY® film, supplied by Pliant Corporation), and a through-airbonded web (PE/PP, side-by-side, 118.7 gsm), with bond pressure, linespeed, and temperature adequate to sustain the desirable level ofbonding and texture. In this case, the top patterned roll was heated to124.4° C., while the bottom bond roll was heated to 120° C. Theresulting point un-bonded spunbond laminate sheet was ultrasonicallywelded to a neck-bonded laminate sheet using a Branson 920 IW ultrasonicwelder while the NBL was stretched 40 percent. The neck-bonded laminatecontained a 34 gsm metllocene-catalyzed polyethylene film laminated to apair of opposing polypropylene spunbond facings. The spunbond facingshad a basis weight of 17 gsm prior to being stretched or necked. Thespunbond facings were necked to a width corresponding to 42 percent oftheir original width.

An imprinted, stainless steel bond plate served as the ultrasonic anvilto make the finger-shaped bond pattern. The bicomponent spunbond layerof the point un-bonded laminate spunbond material was adjacent to theNBL during the ultrasonic welding process (meaning the textured nubsfaced and were pressed against the SBL sheet during welding). Afterultrasonic welding, excess material was trimmed around the edges, andthe finger toothbrush was inverted to place the seam on the inside andthe textured nubs on the outside. A suspension of encapsulated flavorsin oil (200 mg of a suspension made up of 300 mg encapsulatedwintergreen flavor, available from Flavors of North America, Inc., 220mg encapsulated natural mint flavor, available from Flavors of NorthAmerica, Inc., 120 mg xylitol, available from Cultor Corporation, and 2g sunflower oil) was added to the finger toothbrush. The product waspackaged, sealed, and then open 48 is hours later to clean the mouth ofan adult.

Example 25

Example Number 24 was repeated. Instead of using sunflower oil, however,the encapsulated flavors were combined with food-grade propylene glycol.

Example 26

A point un-bonded spunbond laminate material was formed byultrasonically fusing (using a point-un-bonded pattern on a 5.08 cmrotary ultrasonic anvil) two materials: a film (0.178 mm CATALLOY® film,supplied by Pliant Corporation), and through-air bonded web (PE/PP,side-by-side, 128.9 gsm), with bond pressure, power, and line speedadequate to sustain the desirable level of bonding and texture. Thethrough-air bonded web was next to the patterned anvil during thebonding process. The resulting point un-bonded spunbond laminate sheetwas ultrasonically welded to a neck-bonded laminate sheet using aBranson 290 IW ultrasonic welder while the NBI was stretched 40 percent.The neck-bonded laminate contained a 34 gsm metallocene-catalyzedpolyethylene film laminated to a pair of opposing polypropylene spunbondfacings. The spunbond facings had a basis weight of 17 gsm prior tobeing stretched or necked. The spunbond facings were necked to a widthcorresponding to 42 percent of their original width.

An imprinted, stainless steel bond plate served as the ultrasonic anvilto make the finger-shaped bond pattern. The bicomponent spunbond layerof the point un-bonded laminate spunbond material was adjacent to theNBL during the ultrasonic welding process (meaning the textured nubsfaced and were pressed against the SBL sheet during welding). Afterultrasonic welding, excess material was trimmed around the edges, andthe finger glove was inverted to place the seam on the inside and thetextured nubs on the outside. Peppermint oil was added to the fingerglove, which was subsequently used to clean the mouth of an adult.

Example 27

A point un-bonded spunbond laminate material was formed byultrasonically fusing (using a point-un-bonded pattern on a 5.08 cmrotary ultrasonic-anvil) two materials: a breathable film sheet(LLDPE/CaCO3)/polypropylene, 34 gsm) and a through-air bonded web(PE/PP, side-by-side fibers 118.7 gsm), with bond pressure, line speed,and temperature adequate to sustain the desirable level of bonding andtexture. The resulting point un-bonded spunbond laminate sheet wasultrasonically welded to a neck-bonded laminate (NBL) sheet using aBranson 920 IW ultrasonic welder while the NBL was stretched 50 percent.The neck-bonded laminate contained a 34 gsm metallocene-catalyzedpolyethylene film laminated to a pair of opposing polypropylene spunbondfacings. The spunbond facings had a basis weight of 17 gsm prior tobeing stretched or necked. The spunbond facings were necked to a widthcorresponding to 42 percent of their original width. An imprinted,stainless steel bond plate served as the ultrasonic anvil to make thefinger-shaped bond pattern. The bicomponent spunbond layer of the pointun-bonded laminate spunbond material was adjacent to the NBL during theultrasonic welding process (meaning the textured nubs faced and werepressed against the SBL sheet during welding). After ultrasonic welding,excess material was trimmed around the edges, and the finger glove wasinverted to place the seam on the inside and the textured nubs on theoutside.

Example 28

A point un-bonded spunbond laminate material was formed byultrasonically fusing (using a point-un-bonded pattern on a 5.08 cmrotary ultrasonic anvil) two through-air bonded webs. Both webs werecomprised of bicomponent, PE/PP, side-by-side fibers. The top web,adjacent to the patterned anvil during bonding, was comprised ofpentalobal shaped fibers, and had a basis weight of 118.7 gsm. Thebottom web was comprised of conventional round fibers, and had a basisweight of 128.9 gsm. Bond pressure (60 psi) and line speed (80 fpm) wereset to ensure adequate bonding, although adjustments to the power couldallow for other settings providing nearly equivalent bonding. Theresulting point un-bonded spunbond laminate sheet was ultrasonicallywelded to a neck-bonded laminate (NBL) sheet using a Branson 920 IWultrasonic welder while the NBL was stretched 45 percent. Theneck-bonded laminate contained a 34 gsm metallocene-catalyzedpolyethylene film laminated to a pair of opposing polypropylene spunbondfacings. The spunbond facings had a basis weight of 17 gsm prior tobeing stretched or necked. The spunbond facings were necked to a widthcorresponding to 42 percent of their original width. An imprinted,magnesium bond plate served as the ultrasonic anvil to make thefinger-shaped bond pattern. The bicomponent spunbond layer of the pointun-bonded laminate spunbond material was adjacent to the NBL during theultrasonic welding process (meaning the textured nubs faced and werepressed against the SBL sheet during welding). After ultrasonic welding,excess material was trimmed around the edges, and the finger glove wasinverted to place the seam on the inside and the textured nubs on theoutside.

Example 29

A point un-bonded spunbond laminate material was formed byultrasonically bonding two through-air bonded webs. Both webs werecomprised of bicomponent, PE/PP, side-by-side fibers. The depth of theround circles (corresponding the un-bonded regions) in the patternedanvil was 0.060″. The top web, adjacent to the patterned anvil duringbonding, was comprised of pentalobal shaped fibers, and had a basisweight of 118.7 gsm. The bottom web was comprised of conventional roundfibers, and had a weight of 128.9 gsm. Bond pressure (60 psi) and linespeed (80 fpm) were set to ensure adequate bonding, although adjustmentsto the power could allow for other settings providing nearly equivalentbonding. The resulting point un-bonded spunbond laminate sheet wasultrasonically welded to a neck-bonded laminate sheet using a Branson920 IW ultrasonic welder while the NBL was stretched 49 percent. Theneck-bonded laminate contained a 34 gsm metallocene-catalyzedpolyethylene film laminated to a pair of opposing polypropylene spunbondfacings. The spunbond facings had a basis weight of 17 gsm prior tobeing stretched or necked. The spunbond facings were necked to a widthcorresponding to 42 percent of their original width. An imprinted,magnesium bond plate served as the ultrasonic anvil to make thefinger-shaped bond pattern. The bicomponent spunbond layer of the pointun-bonded laminate spunbond-material was adjacent to the NBL during theultrasonic welding process (meaning the textured nubs faced and werepressed against the NBL sheet during welding). After ultrasonic welding,excess material was trimmed around the edges, and the finger glove wasinverted to place the seam on the inside and the textured nubs on theoutside.

Example 30

A point un-bonded spunbond laminate material was formed byultrasonically bonding two through-air bonded webs. Both webs werecomprised of bicomponent, PE/PP, side-by-side fibers. The depth of theround circles (corresponding the un-bonded regions) in the patternedanvil was 0.120″. The top web, adjacent to the patterned anvil duringbonding, was comprised of pentalobal shaped fibers, and had a basisweight of 118.7 gsm. The bottom web was comprised of conventional roundfibers, and had a basis weight of 128.9 gsm. Bond pressure (60 psi) andline speed (80 fpm) were set to ensure adequate bonding, althoughadjustments to the power could allow for other settings providing nearlyequivalent bonding. The resulting point un-bonded spunbond laminatesheet was ultrasonically welded to a neck-bonded laminate sheet using aBranson 920 IW ultrasonic welder while the NBL was stretched 40-percent.The neck-bonded laminate contained a 34-gsm metallocene-catalyzedpolyethylene film laminated to a pair of opposing polypropylene spunbondfacings. The spunbond facings had a weight of 17 gsm prior to beingstretched or necked. The spunbond facings were necked to a widthcorresponding to 42 percent of their original width. An imprinted,magnesium bond plate served as the ultrasonic anvil to make the fingershaped-bond pattern. The bicomponent spunbond layer of the pointun-bonded laminate spunbond material was adjacent to the NBL during theultrasonic welding process (meaning the textured nubs-faced and werepressed against the NBL sheet during welding). After ultrasonic welding,excess material was trimmed around the edges, and the finger glove wasinverted to place the seam on the inside and the textured nubs on theoutside.

Example 31

A 3-D finger glove as described in Example 1 was constructed and used toapply petroleum jelly to an infant during a diaper change. In thisexample, however, the point un-bonded spunbond laminate was replacedwith a spunbond/meltblown/spunbond laminate. The laminate had a basisweight of 47.5 gsm and was made entirely from polypropylene fibers. Thelaminate was ultrasonically welded to the stretch-bonded laminatedescribed in Example 1.

In this example, The finger glove was then subsequently dipped inpetroleum jelly, which was applied to an infant during a diaper change.

Although various aspects have been described using specific terms,devices, and methods, such description is for illustrative purposesonly. The words used are words of description rather than of limitation.It is to be understood that changes and variations may be made by thoseof ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit or scope,which is set forth in the following claims. In addition, it should beunderstood that aspects of the various aspects may be interchanged inwhole or in part. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claimsshould not be limited to the description of the versions containedtherein.

It should be noted that any given range presented herein is intended toinclude any and all lesser included ranges. For example, a range of from45-90 would also include 50-90; 45-80; 46-89 and the like. Thus, therange of 95 percent to 99.999 percent also includes, for example, theranges of 96 percent to 99.1 percent, 96.3 percent to 99.7 percent, and99.91 to 99.999 percent.

1. A 3-D finger glove comprising a hollow member having an open end forthe insertion of a finger, said hollow member comprising a first sectionattached to a second section, said first section comprising a nonwovenmaterial, said second section comprising an elastic nonwoven material,said first section being bonded to said second section to make a seam,while said second section is stretched by an amount between 25 and 90percent of the unstretched length.
 2. The 3-D finger glove of claim 1wherein the length of said first section divided by the length of saidsecond section defines a length ratio, and said length ratio of firstsection to second section is about 25 to 90 percent.
 3. The 3-D fingerglove of claim 2 wherein the length ratio of first section to secondsection is about 50 to 70 percent.
 4. The 3-D finger glove of claim 1wherein said the ratio of first section to second section is about 25 to50 percent.
 5. The 3-D finger glove of claim 1 wherein said seam is lessthan 1 millimeter (mm) in width and 1 mm in height.
 6. The 3-D fingerglove of claim 1 wherein said seam is less than 50 microns in width and50 microns in height.
 7. The 3-D finger glove of claim 1 wherein saidfirst section includes a texturized surface.
 8. The 3-D finger glove ofclaim 7, wherein said texturized surface comprises looped bristles. 9.The 3-D finger glove of claim 7 wherein said texturized surfacecomprises a point un-bonded material.
 10. The 3-D finger glove of claim1 wherein said elastic nonwoven material is seclecte from the groupconsisting of stretch-bonded laminates, neck-bonded laminates andneck-stretch-bonded laminates.
 11. The 3-D finger glove of claim 1wherein said elastic nonwoven material comprises an elastic materialpositioned in between a first nonwoven web and a second nonwoven web.12. The 3-D finger glove of claim 1 wherein said first section comprisesa laminate including a moisture barrier layer positioned in between afirst nonwoven web and a second nonwoven web.
 13. A 3-D finger glovecomprising a first section attached to a second section, said firstsection and said second section defining a pocket therebetween, saidpocket having a distal end and a proximal end, said distal end beingclosed and said proximal end being open, said open proximal end beingconfigured to allow the insertion of a finger into said pocket, saidsecond section comprising an elastic nonwoven material, bonded to saidfirst section while said second section is stretched.
 14. The 3-D fingerglove of claim 13 wherein said elastic nonwoven material comprises alaminate.
 15. The 3-D finger glove of claim 13 wherein said elasticnonwoven material comprises an elastic material positioned in between afirst nonwoven web and a second nonwoven web.
 16. The 3-D finger gloveofin claim 15 wherein said elastic material comprises a film.
 17. The3-D finger glove of claim 13 wherein said elastic material compriseselastic strands.
 18. The 3-D finger glove of claim 13 further comprisinga moisture barrier layer incorporated into at least a portion of one ofsaid first or said second sections.
 19. The 3-D finger glove of claim 13wherein said first section comprises a material selected from the groupconsisting of spun-bonded webs, meltblown webs,spun-bonded/meltblown/spun-bonded webs, through-air bonded webs,spun-bonded/meltblown webs, and bonded carded webs.
 20. The 3-D fingerglove of claim 19 wherein said first section defines a texturizedsurface, said texturized surface comprising a material selected from thegroup consisting of looped bristles, crimped fibers, and a pointun-bonded material containing a plurality of tufts surrounded by bondedregions.